Do You Let Your Students Drive?

The demands on today's educators to meet the needs of ALL learners continue to evolve and change quicker than the rise of Twitter. When you examine the teacher workload that includes high-stakes testing, incorporation of technology, behavior plans, Individualized Educational Plans, intervention strategies/programs, performance-based pay, and coaching duties - it's no wonder lesson planning and high-quality instruction may take a back seat.

Yet, there is a very unique and humble solution - Let the Students Drive! Who knows their own learning style better than each and every student. Why must we continue to confine students to the same rigor and assessment style that has not worked for decades? As educators, we set the criteria for learning, but why not let the students choose how they show you what has been learned?

While a bit scary, and perhaps intimidating at first, allowing your students to drive their education will engage them in the learning process in ways you could have never imagine. Instead of asking students to recite a formula in math, why not let them create a rap or song to show off their artistic side? Rather than an old-fashioned Power Point, why not allow students to use a web tool to display their knowledge of the food chain? Better yet, instead of writing a paper about the Holocaust, why not allow students to complete Character Sketches through the use of a Blog to role play and interact with classmates?

You see, the more educators try to stay the same, the more students push back. Aren't we the content experts - don't we already know the answers? At some point, we need to teach students how to UNLEARN what they have already LEARNED about learning. Allow students to choose their vehicle of learning. Allow students to choose how to get to the destination. Allow students to fail and challenge our own thinking. Only then can we be the expert that helps guide them along the way and back on the right path when they are wrong. In doing so so, we can help students better develop critical thinking, problem solving, and analyzing skills.

If only we all taught like Pirates, as Dave Burgess would say. We need to teach with Passion, Immerse ourselves in our subjects, build Rapport with our students, Ask/Analyze our current practices, Transform our classroom practices, and be Enthusiastic.

Will you let your students drive the ship matey? Aaargghh

Preparing Students for Success

Odds are you have already flipped a lesson for your class, but you never realized you did. Let's start by asking the following question - have you ever asked students to complete a reading passage outside of class? If so, you've already laid the foundation to flip that lesson. Now all you need is to structure the in-class activity to support your reading assignment. The power of flipping can now bring your class activities and discussion to life!

Flipping a lesson or classroom does not need to be a difficult or tedious process. All 'flippers' have the same goal - create a student-centered learning environment that promotes collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and reflection. Many high school teachers and higher-ed instructors struggle to find time to accomplish all these tasks in a 'traditional' classroom setting. Many proponents of the flipped classroom point to these very attributes as reasons to consider flipping your classroom.

The best advice I can offer would be the following:
1) Start Small! You don't need to flip an entire class. Look for "flippable moments" as Dr. Barbi Honeycutt states. Look for confusion in students where you might need to spend more class time discussing. Look for fundamentals that can be taught through a video and practice can be done during face-to-face class time. Look for boredom in students and creating authentic learning experiences in your classroom to keep them coming back for more.

2) Plan BACKWARDS! Identify an in-class activity you have never had enough time to conquer or one that you really want students to take a lot from. Plan that activity first, and then ask how you can provide pre-class material to the students. This pre-class material is any necessary information the student will need to be successful during the activity. Provide them a short video lecture, reading passage, or exploratory cues. Always keep the in-class activity in mind as you provide them information they will need.

3) Integrate moments of reflection. Allowing students time to process and reflect on what was learned is a vital tool for the instructor. This allows instructors an opportunity to identify struggling students and correct any misconceptions immediately. Likewise, it provides pertinent feedback about the activity and how it might be changed in the future. Activities like "Think, Pair, Share", "Think, Write, Share", "Writing Prompts", "Exit Tickets", or "SWOT Analysis" (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) are great activities that encourage student feedback and reflection.

Too many students walk out of high school or college lacking applicable job skills that are required to be successful. I truly believe that the flipped classroom helps address those abilities and provides students an opportunity to be successful. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and off your 'stage'. You might actually like the noise of others for a change.

It's Not About the Video!

The time finally arrived this week - I transitioned to my new position at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College as a Faculty Development Consultant, thus leaving the classroom behind. While my first week was exciting and I am joining an amazing team, I quickly realized I have a lot to learn about the Technical College structure and business plan. While my time was filled with many meetings and planning opportunities, I was able to attend a Flipped Class session for Professional Development of faculty at NWTC.

Whether you are currently flipping, or even considering flipping your class at ANY LEVEL, it's vitally important to remember that flipping a class IS NOT about the video lesson. While the video does need to be filled with content rich material, flipping is more about your ability as a teacher to create unique learning opportunities with your students during class time. Through creating unique learning opportunities, you are creating a learning environment that is open and welcoming to students.

Flipping allows teachers to dedicate more face time to students and help them develop deeper thinking skills, collaboration, and analyzation - three skills necessary in any job. While flipping may not be for every class session or topic, it can be utilized to pre-teach material and test student knowledge when they arrive to class. Many of the flipping principles I've outlined on this blog for middle school math can still be used in any flipped lesson.

Take the WSQ Video worksheet for example. This worksheet can still be a guiding force behind student collaboration and discussion of a specific topic. This note taking format can be an excellent guide for students to follow that are new to flipped learning. Likewise, TWIRL discussion groups can help guide the discussion once a video lesson has been watched.

If creating a video lesson is "freaking" you out - don't be scared! Remember, students want you to create meaningful learning experiences for them. Focus on what you can do in your classroom once students have watched your video lesson. The video itself needs to be straight forward and to the point! Provide time in class for students to ask questions and analyze the information presented together. I bet you'll be amazed by the discussion that will now take place.

Good Luck!

Building Relationships

Last week I was able to sub for our elementary physical education teacher that was on our 8th Grade class field trip to Washington DC. Since I wasn't able to chaperon the trip, I was asked to sub for him and jumped at the opportunity. Now, let me be the first to tell you that elementary phy ed is no walk in the park.

My body was not ready for the continuous games of tag, stretching, and plain old fun. Not to mention the constant tattling, bickering, and rules infractions. While it was all quite an adjustment, I did notice a common trend through out the week - the better I was able to establish a rapport/relationship with these students, the better the students behaved and followed rules.

That's when it truly hit me - being a teacher is less about course content and more about building relationships with students. As teachers, we often fulfill many roles in the lives of our students; teacher, counselor, parent, friend, coach, and role model. While most teachers never signed on for all of these roles, the greatest teachers embrace them and understand the importance they play in educating our children.

While we all chose our field for specific reasons, we sometimes have to sit back and remember that not everyone is as passionate as we are about the subject. I came to the realization a long time ago that many of the math skills I teach students they will probably never use directly in their career (solving rational expressions or Pythagorean Theorem aren't necessities in most jobs.) Instead, I use math as a tool to help students build skills that will make them successful in whatever line of field they choose.

All students need to learn accountability, hence we have daily assignments and tasks in math. All students need to be good at critical thinking, which is why I include challenge problems in math. All students need perseverance to stick with difficult situations, which is why I give students Enrichment tasks during each chapter. The sooner I realized that the math wasn't the important skill for students, the sooner students and I were able to develop a relationship that was based on looking out for their best interests.

With out doubt, I encounter problems on a daily basis. However, because I have built a relationship with students, I am able to handle every situation in my class on an individual basis. My students know I have their success in life on the forefront of every decision I make. My students trust me and give me their trust and respect on a daily basis.

More often than not, my end of the year surveys come back with students stating "I've never learned so much math in one year", "This was the best math experience I can remember", and "Thanks for making math fun!" As I read these statements, it often chills me that students had negative experiences in math because teachers were too worried about the content rather than the student. For those reading this, I urge you to put your rational thinking aside for a moment and ask how you've built a relationship with your students. What can you do differently next year to help students see their full potential and help them build skills for their future!

Moving On . . .

"Your biggest hurdle isn't your opponent, it's yourself!" ~ Brandon Todd

Before any fellow flippers panic by reading the title, I am not moving on from Flipping - rather I am leaving the classroom and entering the realm of leadership at a local technical college here in Wisconsin. While I have greatly enjoyed my time in the classroom and have found Flipping to be very beneficial for my students and for me personally, I strongly believe it's time to share my talents with others in a leadership role.

My official role is a 'Faculty Development Consultant' within the Talent Development Department (sounds like I will be adding more acronyms to my arsenal)! My responsibilities include helping Full-Time and Part-Time Instructors maintain and enhance instruction, management, assessment, and use of technology. What an exciting opportunity for me to share what I am so passionate about.

I truly hope I am able to bring Flipping with me to the Technical College level and encourage instructors to change how they value their time with their students. I have become an avid activists for others to pursue Flipping their instruction - placing value not on the videos but rather the unique learning experiences one can provide students in a classroom setting. You see, videos are simply an instructional tool to free up the limited time you engage with students. By freeing up more time, we are able to create unique and more meaningful experiences that students can take with them into their field.

At a technical college, many students are working 30 - 40 hours per week. Asking them to complete homework to show competency of a lesson is sometimes difficult, if not impossible. Imagine though if they needed to watch a 15 minute video lesson on a specific topic for class. That video could be watched on the bus ride to work, during a lunch break, or any spare time a student has. Instructors can now use their lecturing time to create meaningful opportunities for student learning.

While I recognize that Flipping is not for every class and not every lesson, I encourage others to give it a chance and see how it can change the culture in your classroom environment. Experiment with Flipping to see how it can be a means to engage your students during the time that you see them.

I will continue to use this Blog as a means to provide information about Flipping. I've created new pages to explore Flipping in different contents and suggestions for how Flipping could be used. Those pages will continue to be "under construction" infinitely" as I continue to learn and grow. Likewise, I have also started a second blog, "Resources For Teachers" as a means to provide much coaching, mentoring, and advice on a wide range of topics.

Please help me spread the word to others about my blogs and help other teachers grow. Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, tips, strategies, or ideas for others to look at, think about, and ponder as we grow together. Best of luck finishing the school year...keep your chin up, head held high, and make a difference in the lives of every child you encounter.

Room For Improvement

As I reflect upon the past week of school, I can't help but think about one class in particular that seems to be falling further and further behind. Those of you that teach middle school or high school know exactly what I'm talking about. It's that one class you dread to teach each day, not because you don't like the students, rather because you know you know you can't possible help ALL the students in that class get to where they need to be.

While I could throw up a myriad of excuses, the most glaring reason is tied to student to teacher ratio. For me, this class happens to be my largest class of the day, AND it also happens to be the last period of the school day. And while I've tried mightily to connect with every student and encourage them to use their class time wisely, the reality is that I am still struggling to help those students that struggle.

In a 43 minute class period, one set of hands in this class is not enough. There is a huge disparity in this class between students that understand the content and want to be pushed versus those that either don't understand or are unmotivated to learn. Yet, as I've added enrichment activities to push the accelerated learners, I haven't found enough time to meet with those students that need help. Throw in the regular middle-school socialization and you've created a recipe for distraction!

As I continue to fine tune my version of the Flipped Classroom, I have become very curious in co-teaching. Imagine having two sets of eyes and hands in the classroom to be able to meet with students more regularly. I would imagine that having two teachers in the classroom would help differentiate and group students more easily. One teacher could focus all their attention on the low level learners or unmotivated learners and help guide them along the process.

While my concerns are not unique to me or to the flipped classroom, I know many of us a teachers have created unique solutions. The power of teaching is to share those ideas and help build others up. And so I ask for suggestions, ideas, or advice as I continue to move forward in education and look for ways to build treasure chest of hidden gems.

Digital Learn Day '14

As Digital Learn Day of 2014 has come and gone, I can't help but reflect on all of the amazing digital learning opportunities that students had within our school.  From coding, blogging, and Google Docs to creating videos and avatars, our students were blessed with a plethora of opportunities to learn how technology can be incorporated into their school day. One can only hope our teachers recognized the power of technology.

The highlight of the day, for me personally, was opening up my Flipped Classroom to others to share how we Differentiate Mathematics through Flipped Learning. In attendance was an amazing group of teachers, a principal, a commissioner of CESA, a school board member, and a parent. Their intrigue with Flipped Classrooms and our ability to meet the needs of all students amazed them.

We started out our morning with a short presentation on why I chose to Flip my math classes, and what it now looks like in my classroom. Much intrigue centered around our TWIRL Group Discussions and Challenge Problems. The participants were eager to see this in action...I could only hope our students wouldn't disappoint. (Check out the Prezi - Click Here)

As we entered our classroom, students were well prepared for our guests. A lively discussion about the video lesson was taking place amongst the students, and I chimed in my two cents to help explore "Angles of Polygons" and why the formula uses 180. To my surprise, students were eager to volunteer and didn't shy away because of the 'strangers' in the room.

As students transitioned to their group challenge problem, the open house participants were blown away by how much mathematical conversation was actually taking place. I cannot boast enough about how well the students handled the pressure and worked together to solve two challenge problems. Students even managed to snap pictures and email their work to me via our iPads.  One participant even stated through her Twitter account, "Great classroom visit today with @CliffGoodacre in a flipped math class. It's refreshing to see how engaged 8th graders can be in geometry!" Talk about a great compliment for our students.

Upon finishing our class visit, four of our students agreed to join us in our meeting room for a student panel. While I knew these students were nervous, they handled themselves very well, answering each question with poise and honesty. As their teacher, even I learned a little bit more about them as students and their apprehensions about a Flipped Classroom.

Yet, for me, there has been a great deal of reflecting through this open house and the questions participants generated for me. High on my list is the transition to High School math for our students. Does the Flipped Class in 8th grade help or hinder their growth if they go back to a traditional class in high school? This is a deep conversation that I need to have with our High School Math Department.

Likewise, I also need to start collecting data - both student achievement data and student/parent feedback data.  Both pieces of information can be critical to the direction my class continues to take!

In conclusion, my Digital Learning Day experience was filled with great pride and joy in sharing what my Flipped Class has become and how we differentiate our learning to help make it more personalized. I also take great pride in my life-long learning and am eager to answer some of the questions thrown my way to back up what I already know and see on a daily basis.

Remember, Mistakes are Proof You are Trying!